Dr Leonard Frankenstein
by madamwolf
Summary: Young Frankenstein crossover. After receiving a letter informing him that his grandfather had died Leonard is forced to go to Transylvania with Penny and "settle his grandfathers estate" however things take an interesting turn... Leonard/Penny
1. Chapter 1

**AN:**Hey this idea popped into my head when, you guess it, I was coming home from seeing Young Frankenstein so very long ago. I started writing this fic after I first saw the show like two years when the complete original cast was still there. I only never posted till now cause this fic wasn't my top priority fanfiction wise. I decided to wait until I had written out a good amount of it, which I do I think I have about half already finished. And by the way, I don't think there's a Young Frankenstein catagory so I couldn't put this in both catagories like I had planned with the crossover feature. But its still a crossover.

**Warnings:** None really. Spoilers for Young Frankenstein, I suppose some cursing, sex references and stuff but nothing bad…

**Disclaimer:**Seriously people… if I owned YF or TBBT I don't think I'd be writing fanfiction about it.

**Shipping:** Let me rant for a moment here, what's with all the Sheldon/Penny? Does no one appreciate a good Penny/Leonard? Not that I have anything against Sheldon/Penny but I mean… you'd think there'd just be more Penny/Leonard. But anyway, this story will be a Penny/Leonard ship cause I want them to hook up! … for more then like, one episode.

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Leonard walked up the many flights of stairs and to his apartment, the elevator had been broken for Lord knows how long now, but no one seemed to mind, or they were just too lazy to complain. He had gone down to fetch his mail quickly, he was off work today and found himself quite bored, the equations that were on his white board weren't occupying his time the way they normally did.

He opened the door to his apartment and flopped down on the couch, long ways on his back with one foot propped up on the arm. He absent mindedly flipped through his mail, bills mostly, a robot magazine for Sheldon… he stopped for a moment and stared at a hand addressed envelope it was defiantly personal but it wasn't addressed to anyone he knew.

"Inga?" He mumbled and sat up slightly. His gaze wandered to the address and noticed it was Penny's. "Who's Inga?" For a moment he thought maybe Penny had another relative staying with her or another friend but then he thought that he would have heard about it if she did.

He heard the door from Sheldon's room open and his quick steps as he walked out. Leonard automatically sat up to allow Sheldon sit in his usual seat; he knew he would make a fuss if he couldn't. He continued to stare at the unusual letter as he felt Sheldon it down in his normal seat next to him with a glass of milk in his hand.

"What are you looking at?" He asked as he sipped his milk.

"This letter," he began to explain. "It's Penny's address but it's addressed to a woman named Inga, and it doesn't even have a last name, just Inga."

"It is conceivable that she could change her name."

"To Inga?"

"Point taken." Sheldon shrugged. "Why do you care anyway? It's not your letter just give it to her."

He was about to respond when there was a soft knock at the door. Out of reflex he placed the mail on the coffee table, stood up and walked over to it, he opened the door and by pure coincidence there stood Penny with a few letters in her hands sucking on her tongue. "Hey," she greeted and glanced down at the letters. "I got some of your mail… again, ya know we should really talk to that mail guy."

"I wouldn't worry about." He said taking the mail and letting her in. "Speaking of which I think I got something of yours."

He walked over to the table and picked up the letter. "Is this for you?"

She took it from his hands and moaned loudly when she saw it. "Oh God…"

"What is it?" He asked.

"It's from my grandma; she calls me Inga, my middle name, been in the family for generations, from someone's Godmother or… something, I dunno." Penny said rolling her eyes. "She has yet to master the concept of e-mail."

"Inga's a German name." Sheldon pointed out.

"That would make sense seeing as I am German and I swear if you two tell anyone what my middle name is I will hunt you down and kill you." She warned.

"Well what a coincidence, Leonard refuses to let anyone know his true name as well." Sheldon said sitting down once again with his milk, testing it to make sure it was still cold enough to drink.

"Leonard's not your name?" She asked.

"No… no it is…"He said wringing his fingers together nervously.

"Then what?" She asked and he remained silent. "Oh come on, you know my secret shame now let's hear yours."

"It's his last name; he goes by his mother's maiden name. It's really Frankenstein." Sheldon practically shouted out, getting sick of Leonard's refusal so say.

"Frankenstein? Like the monster?" Penny asked with a smile.

"Actually Frankenstein was the Doctors name, the monster was referred to as Frankenstein's Monster or Creature." Sheldon said helpfully.

Leonard glared at him before turning back to Penny. "It's Fronkensteen actually, my name is pronounced Fronkensteen. And yes the whole world knows what my ancestors have done, but I'm not like them, I'm not a Frankenstein, I don't indulge in tomfoolery and I don't believe in ghosts or goblins."

Penny scoffed "But you have to, I mean it's proven that it's possible to bring live into something dead sure most people don't beleive it but I happen to be one of the few who do."

"I'm not denying that it happened, I'm just saying do I look like the kind of mad man who goes around digging up freshly buried corpses?" He asked.

"Well…" Penny shrugged.

"Don't answer that." Leonard said holding up his hand. "I'm not a Frankenstein."

She sighed. "Whatever, look guys I gotta go, I have a date tonight, talk to ya later." She said waving her hand and walking back out the door.

"Well, that went well." Sheldon said from the couch.

"Shut up…" Leonard moaned as he walked over to lose the door that Penny left ajar on her way out. As he reached the threshold on the door he saw her pretty face pop back in grinning.

"Have a good evening, Dr. Frankenstein." She said mockingly before running off back to her apartment.

"Don't call me that!" Leonard screamed as she shut her door across the hall before he grunted in frustration and shut his. He held his back to the door and crossed his arm while Sheldon sat on the couch watching him.

"I don't see why you just won't accept your family is full of insane but yet brilliant men." He said placing his milk glass down on the table.

"But I don't do all that stuff, I deal in fact, not fiction, I'm a Physicist for Pete's sake, it's the reason I exist."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** Here we go, chapter two

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It was a little over a week later when Leonard was staring at his white board trying to figure out the rest of the equation. He had worked himself into a bit of a hole and was trying to get himself out, he would prefer to do this before Sheldon noticed and began rattling off the ways he went wrong. He heard the knock at the door but he didn't acknowledge it his mind was too wrapped up in his work. That is until he went on and eventually disrupted his thought.

He grunted in frustration and turned around to go answer the door, on his way there still staring in confusion at the numbers and formulas. He walked to the door and opened it, not bothering to check who might be behind it. When he did look forward he stumbled backwards for a moment before gaining his compose. There was a man standing before him with an almost frighteningly serious face holding a briefcase in front of him.

"Can I help you?" Leonard asked slowly as he stared at the strange man.

"Dr. Leonard Frankenstein?" He asked.

Leonard moaned, it seemed ever since he had told Penny what his real name was it had been haunting him. He got pulled over the other day and since Frankenstein was the name on his license that's what he was called, he had to go to work and the new man their had seen his personal folder that contained his birth certificate and such and had called him Frankenstein once again. Only on his work papers and formed that had been filled out over the past ten years or so was he called Hofstadter, all his original papers stated his name as Frankenstein.

"It's Fronkensteen." He corrected dully not bothering to correct him fully and insist he be called Hofstadter. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, Dr. Fronkensteen, I represent your grandfather's estate. As you may or may not have known he passed away not long ago." He said letting himself in and walking over to the kitchen table.

"I didn't know." Leonard said following him in. "We weren't too close what with him being in Transylvania and all that." He said shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Well," the lawyer said opening up the brief case. "It seems that he has left everything to you, rather then your father, apparently they had a bit of a rocky relationship." Leonard nodded remembering. "You are inheriting his home in Transylvania and all this wealth; he has left this letter for you after he passes explaining everything. If you could sign these forms stating that you accept all of your inheritance." He passed a pile of forms Leonard's way.

The younger man stared dumbfounded at the stack of papers. "Are you sure?" He asked the man before picking up the pen to sign them or even read them.

"That I am sure of, Dr. Fronkensteen."

"Don't call me that."

"Very well, but I assure you, he left it all to you. There is no need to make this any more complicated then it has to be. Simply sign these forms and the house and all that are inside of said house are yours."

There was another knock at the door just as Leonard picked up the papers and began reading them. "Sheldon! Could you get the door?" He called over his shoulder and to the man who he knew was locked away in his room doing Lord knows what.

"Why should I have to get it?" His voice shouted back. "Your closer, it would disturb whatever you're doing less then it would me due to the distance!"

"I'm busy!"

"Well so am I!"

The door opened and Penny walked in. "I can hear you through the door you know." She said placing a hand on her hip and shifting her weight slightly. She began walking to Leonard and that was when she spotted the scary lawyer. "I need to borrow a couple eggs… Oh, is this a bad time? I could come back."

"No, no, it's fine." Leonard said as Sheldon walked in the room from the hallway.

"So we're just let ourselves in now? Interesting." He said as he walked over to Leonard as well. "What are you doing?"

"What are _you _doing?" Leonard asked as Sheldon invaded his space and began reading the forms.

"Seeing what you're doing, your grandfather died?" He asked as he ripped the papers from his hands and began reading them himself.

"Yes…" Leonard sighed.

"I'm sorry." Penny said sympathetically.

"Don't be, I barley knew him." He responded.

"You're inheriting all of his possessions and his house?!" Sheldon squealed.

"Yes."

'That's great," Penny said with a smile. "Well not that your grandfather died but you know the rest, so where did he live? Maybe you could move out of here." She said waving her hand around to motion to the whole apartment.

Leonard shook his head and sighed. "I doubt it; he lives or lived in Transylvania."

"Oh wow." Penny giggled remembering what he had told her about his real name over a week ago. "Maybe you could join the family business."

"Not funny." Leonard said.

"I thought it was." Sheldon said from the papers. "I would sign these, I've read them all and I haven't found one loophole."

"Fine." He said and took them quickly signing in every spot that he needed to. "I don't know what I'm going to do with a place in Transylvania though."

"Are you gonna go check it out?" Penny asked.

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Oh come on, you have an excuse to go to Transylvania how awesome is that?!" She asked with a smile. "Besides if you really don't want it you could check it out and sell it, I'm sure you could get some money off it."

"I dunno, I'd feel weird about selling it." He said.

"Why?" Sheldon asked.

He shrugged. "My family might have been a bunch of crazy loons but this house has been in my family for generations and generations, it'd feel weird."

"It's just a house it has no feelings or emotions if you sell it, it won't matter." Sheldon explained.

"I get what you're saying," Penny said looking over his shoulder at the letter from his grandfather he was no reading. "But still an excuse to go to Transylvania and look here," she pointed to the paper. "He wants you to go, he'll even have someone waiting at the train station for you, I guess you'll have to get on a train right after the plane."

"This is true," the lawyer spoke up. "He will have his servant uh… Ygor he will provide you and anyone who is accompanying you to the castle."

"Castle!" Penny cried gripping Leonard's shoulder even tighter then she had been. "Oh you have to go now."

"It would be nice to get away for a couple days." He said sighing and then a small smile appeared on his face and he turned around to face Penny, and a little hesitantly he asked her, "I'd hate to go alone; would you like to go to Transylvania with me?"

Her face paled and she stared at him. "You're kidding me, you're serious? I can go? Oh well, Leonard I don't know as much as I would like to I'm sure there's someone more suited for going, I mean Sheldon or Raj or Howard a lot better then me."

He shrugged and looked down at the ground. "Howard and Raj wouldn't go they're both in the middle of big projects and Sheldon has to stay here and take care of the apartment while I'm gone – "

"I do?"

"Besides, it'd be weird going with one of the guys, I'd rather take you, you're the one who convinced me to go and besides you're… you're so excited about it." He finished with more confidence as he saw her face light up.

"Yeah! I will totally go!" She reached forward and gave him a long hug.

Leonard smiled and hugged her back; he liked it when she gave him hugs. When they parted he turned back around to face the lawyer. "Does it say when I can go?"

"You can go virtually any time you like, but I suggest you go sooner rather then later."

"Great when's good for you?" He asked Penny.

"Any time, I have plenty of vacation days."

"So do I, um, how about this weekend? We won't have to take too much time off since it's the weekend and we'll have four days to pack and get ready since it's only Sunday." He said. "We can get a plane on Friday morning, how's that?"

"Okay." She nodded. "I have four days to pack… how long will we be staying?"

"However long it takes to get his affairs in order I guess since I suppose I will have to be doing some legal stuff while I'm there. We can play it by ear but I think I'll take five days off for now."

"Okay that'll work and I can always call and tell them I need more time off if I do." Penny said with a smile. "Oh wow, I'm going to Transylvania in four days… I have to go call people, I have to pack, oh my God. Thanks Leonard I love you so much, I talk to you later tonight, bye." She said and gave him another quick hug before running out the door.

When she left the room was silent for the most part, that is until Sheldon decided now was a good time to speak. "You're taking her to Transylvania and not me? You're grandfather and all of men in your family for generations are known throughout the world for their brilliance, they must have such a vast library. I want to go; you're only taking her for the possibility of sex."

"I am not, I'm taking her because she would enjoy herself more then you would, and she's funner."

"Not only is _funner _not a word, but how could she enjoy herself in that small Transylvanian town? I doubt they have extensive shopping facilities or alcoholic beverage consuming get togethers." Sheldon explained only to have the lawyer and Leonard staring at him like he just grew another held that looked like their mothers.

"Despite all that I'm still going to take her, she'll have fun." Leonard said and walked over to the lawyer. "Is there anything else I need to know?"

"Not as if right now, I'll contact Ygor and inform him of your arrival on Friday evening, he'll prepare the rest."

"Great thanks." Leonard said playing with the letter that he had yet to play down on the table.

"I'll have someone call you and let you know of all the arrangements; they'll pay your way."

"Oh okay, great." He said surprised as he walked the lawyer to the door.

"Have a pleasant day, Dr. Frankenstein." He said nodded his head before turning away and leaving down the stairs.

"It's pronounced Fronkensteen." Leonard mumbled to himself as he shut the door and looked around the apartment as realization of everything just hit him full force. "Oh wow, I'm going to Transylvania."

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**AN: **Just a few things I feel I should clear up for some people. I'm spelling it Ygor rather then Igor for now due to pronunciation, like Fronkensteen and Frankenstein. And for those who don't know, yes Leonard is Doctor, he has a PhD.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: **Don't forget to click that pretty little button down there, hey, you guys remember when that button was purplish blue and was on the list with the favorite and alert buttons? Now its in the middle and turns green, it took me a real long time to get used to that, I kept faving stories I didn't mean to fave I just wanted to send a review... but anyway, I'm babbling now. Just read it.

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Leonard had woken up extra early that morning, he didn't want to forget anything he would need on this trip and he wasn't sure if he could just buy things there. It was, after all, a small town in the middle of Transylvania. He held his check list up and peered at it through his glasses as he paced through the middle of the living room as the morning sun was just peeking over the sky line.

"Toothbrush," he muttered to himself. "Check, clothes, check, money, check, phone, check, coat, check, hair stuff, check, pillow for the plane, check, books, check…" His eyes quickly scanned the rest of the list as he looked through his suitcase to make sure he had everything.

As he checked his watch he saw that it was six in the morning, their plane left at eight thirty, he should go find Penny if they wanted to leave soon. She said she would be over by now all ready and he had a sneaking suspicion that she had yet to leave her bed. He placed his carefully put together check list on top of his neatly packed bag and left his apartment getting his keys ready to open Penny's door. She gave him a key the night before in case something like this occurred; she assured him that she had learned to sleep through her phone ringing, a side effect of living on a farm she had said.

He opened the door and found the apartment dark except for the sun filtering in from the window shades. He grumbled and headed for her bedroom through the mess that was her home. He tugged open bedroom door and saw clothes scattered everywhere and make up as well as many different hair products spread across the floor. He shook his head and looked at the bed.

Penny was on her stomach with one arm hanging off the edge of the bed, her tank top straps had fallen off her shoulders and she was snoring slightly. Her hair was a mess and she had a bit of make up smeared underneath her eyes from the day before, she must not have gotten it all off. She looked like anyone would look at six in the morning, but Leonard thought she never looked more beautiful.

He quietly walked over to her and bent down next to her. "Penny?" He asked softly, trying not to wake her too sudden. "Penny?" He tried a little louder. "You have to get up we're leaving in a half hour so we can catch our plane." She still did not stir. "Come on," he shook her slightly. "Get up."

She moaned and turned her head before opening up her eyes. "Huh? Hm… uh… Leonard?" She asked. "What time is it…?"

"It's six o'clock, you should be getting up."

"Mmmmmm…." She drawled out and pushed herself up off the bed and ran a hand through her messy hair. "Okay, I'm good, I'm awake." She sat up and stretched out before yawning. "Thanks for getting me up." She smiled. "I'm gonna go take a shower; I will be at your place in twenty minutes flat." She promised.

"Alright, just make sure you're there."

"I will."

Leonard got up from the bed and walked over to the door, watching her from the corner of his eye to make sure she got up, or at least that's what he told himself. He left her keys on her kitchen table and went across the hall to his own apartment where Sheldon was awake and sitting in his typical spot on the couch in his pajama pants eating a bowl of cereal. He looked up when he spotted Leonard entering and lower the bowl slightly so he could speak to him.

"Where were you?" He asked accusingly.

"Over at Penny's." He answered causally as he made his way over to his suitcase. "I had to go wake her up; apparently she's not much of a morning person."

"You had to wake her up? Hasn't the woman heard of an alarm clock? What does she do for work?" He asked exasperated.

"Yes, but she has the afternoon shift so it's easier." He said defending her as he looked through the bag once more to make sure he had everything in order. "Besides, it's really early; I can understand how she could have trouble getting up."

"By the way, Raj and Howard are coming over in fifteen minutes on the dot; they want to see you and Penny off to Transylvania." He said slightly muffled as he stared down at his cereal.

Leonard nodded and sighed as he shut the suitcase. "Yeah, right. Good, okay, are they coming to the airport with us as well or just here? 'Casue we got a cab…"

"Why would they go to the airport?" He asked in confusion. "What could they or would they say there that they can't say in the apartment."

"It's just a gesture of friendship to see someone off to the airport when they're going away for a while, it's polite, it's courtesy."

"Courtesy makes no sense." He complained and resumed to eating his cereal. "See now look what happened, I got engaged in this meaningless conversation with you and my cheerios are now soggy."

"I'm sure they're not that bad."

"Oh yes they are." He pouted and put the bowl down. "Now they cease to be cheerios, now they're just soggy oh's of nothing. And I can't even pour myself a new bowl because I don't know how much I've already eaten, I would be getting an improper proportion."

"Then measure what you have left."

"But it's already tainted with the milk, it'll disturb the measurements."

"Then minus the amount of milk you used."

"What's the point anymore?" He asked and got up from his seat to throw his soggy cheerios away.

Leonard rolled his eyes and wondered vaguely why he was even friends with him anymore. But then he remembered it was because of his lower then dirt popularity status. Sheldon was the only thing he could befriend. There were times when he wished he really could kill Sheldon like he did so many times in halo, but then he was sure he would eventually miss his rants, it might take a while, but he would miss them.

Leonard headed to the kitchen and grabbed himself a bowl of cereal, pouring himself some corn flakes. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch from where Sheldon was sitting, he knew the consequences if he sat in Sheldon's seat. He turned on the TV and chew the side of his mouth as he pushed his cereal around the bowl to get it all covered in milk. There was never anything on at this time in the morning, news, news and more news, cartoons were always on but that wouldn't do anything. Doctor Who would come on, but not until eight and by then he would be long gone.

But lucky for him he didn't have to sit on the couch and surf through the channels for long. The door opened and Raj along with Howard stepped in, they both looked tired but came none the less.

"Hey guys." Leonard said before taking a bit of his cereal. "Tired?"

"Oh no…" Howard said waving it off. "Not at all, we're fine."

"If you want." He offered. "There's some coffee over on the counter." He pointed with his spoon in the direction of the kitchen.

"Oh thank Einstein…" He muttered and made his way over to the kitchen to find a pot of coffee.

"I thought you didn't drink coffee." Raj asked as he followed Howard but didn't take any of the caffeinated drink.

"I don't… but I was tired when I woke up and I wanted to see what all the fuss was about." He said playing with his spoon in his hands. "Quite frankly I don't get it; I much prefer sugar when I need a booster."

Howard sipped the hot coffee. "That's only because you can't put milk or cream in it my lactose friend. But I have other things to talk about, I still can't believe your grandfather died, that's gotta suck, so are they paying for this trip or is it all you?" He said obviously wanting to talk about the trip more then anything else.

"It's all me, Penny chipped in a little but I told her I'd pay for her ticket, put up a bit of a fight to just to do that."

"Ah, the classic pay for her, very nice, so how long do you anticipate before you get the lovely Cheesecake Scented Goddess in bed?"

He groaned and picked up his now finished bowl and went to the kitchen to place it in the sink. "Howard, I'm not trying to get her in bed, I'm just trying to be nice and besides I'm taking her I'm not going to ask her to pay for her own ticket."

"But you have to admit." Raj said. "If you were trying to get her in bed this is a good way to do it."

At that moment the door opened and Penny walked in lugging three suitcases with her. One was smaller, but very heavy, probably filled with make-up, hair products, etcetera, Another one of the bigger ones was lighter but stuffed, probably clothes, Leonard couldn't begin to imagine what was in the third bag. She dropped them down to the ground and sighed heavily.

"You know, we'll only be gone five days." Leonard said.

She shrugged. "Could be longer, besides I tend to dress based on mood." She smirked and ran a hand through her still damp hair, she hadn't gotten the chance to blow dry it yet, she probably just planned on putting it up in a ponytail for the plane ride anyway.

"Okay, so we'll be leaving in a few minutes." Leonard said glancing at his watch. "Our flight leaves in two hours."

"Au revoir." Howard said giving them a bow and leaning over to kiss Penny hand, she quickly turned away. "Oh, I like the feisty ones."

"If only they liked you," Penny said with a smile. "Goodbye Howard, I'll see you in about five days."

"I shall be counting the minutes."

"Mmm," Penny drawled playing with her damp hair. "You won't be the only one," she said distastefully.

Leonard pushed his friend away. "Goodbye, we'll pick something up to eat on the way to the airport."

"You're leaving?" Sheldon asked. "The airport is only a half hour drive."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "But we still have to go through customs and get something to eat – "

"Still, that shouldn't take an hour and a half, that is unless you intend on stopping at a restaurant for your food, I assumed you meant some quick roll or breakfast sandwich at the store."

"_Goodbye_." Leonard emphasized as he walked over to the door with his and two of Penny's bags.

"Bye everyone!" She cried walking over and giving all the boys a quick hug, Howard being the only one who openly responded. "I'll see you in five days, hope nothing to exciting happens while we're gone!"

"What could happen?" Sheldon wondered.

Penny grabbed her last bag and followed Leonard out the door, he was already headed to the stairs. "Bye! And Sheldon don't forget to get my mail for me!" She reminded him as she walked down the stairs backwards waving to them from where they stood at the door. Sheldon said a quick goodbye and walked back in the apartment, Howard was shouting goodbyes to them, or her rather, in various languages and Raj stood there smiling and waving, still unable to speak in front of her.

They walked down the stairs in almost complete silence; Penny glanced at him as if expecting him to say something a few times. But he remained quiet and stared at the steps in front of him. Eventually she saw that she would have the make the first move for any sort of conversation and opened her mouth to begin speaking.

"So, are you excited?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, I guess, but also no, not at all."

"Why not?"

"Well, my dad came to America long before I was born and met my mom, he hated my grandfather and all the research he did. We weren't exactly friendly with him, only met him a couple times… now that he's dead though it's weird."

"Regardless of how you feel he left you everything, he didn't leave it to your dad or anybody else."

"That's true… but still; it'd be nice to get it over with."

She shrugged and wrapped her arm around him. "With a nice vacation, I don't know what you do in that lab or whatever all day, but I'm sure it's stressful, you could due for some time off."

"Yeah…" He said feeling uncomfortable under her embrace. "I guess." He said and slowly unwrapped himself from her as their cab arrived and they got in.


	4. Chapter 4

Leonard and Penny boarded their plane without any troubles. It would be a long flight, but he didn't mind, he was with Penny and that made any experience ten times better. However his mind wasn't really letting him focus on anything, not even her right now. He kept thinking about the problem he found himself facing. His family was full of freaks, he knew that, so why was he even coming here in the first place? He could always just hire someone to settle his grandfather's estate; he didn't have to come here. But Penny just seemed so excited. There was no way he could deny her of the trip.

As he stared out the window he felt a hand on his leg, he jumped and jerkily looked over to see Penny smiling sweetly at him. If he hadn't been sitting already his knees would have given away.

"So, you said you've only met your grandfather twice, when was the last time you saw him?" She asked.

"Uh, when my grandma died about fifteen years ago," he replied. "My dad liked her… she wasn't as crazy." He drawled out and turned his head back to the window.

"Did he come to California or did you go to Transylvania." She drawled out with a silly smile.

"Went to him," he turned back to her. "That was the first and only time I've seen the place. The house is actually… it's creepy and it's more a creepy castle then a house."

"You were a kid, I'm sure it's not as creepy as you remember."

"No, it's creepy."

She rolled her eyes playfully and to his chagrin removed her hand from his leg and turned her attention back to the movie that was being played. It was some talking dog movie, he wasn't at all interested in it, his mind was drifting off elsewhere. It was about a ten hour flight, he had plenty of time to think.

The rest of the flight went along smoothly, Penny ended up waking him up when they landed because he found up falling asleep. They got off the plane and took the bus to the local train station where they would then be taken to the small town where his grandfathers estate resided.

It wasn't a long train ride, an hour tops though the hour remained silent most of the way, Penny had her ipod in and he had a five hundred page book open in his lap. They did exchange a few words though so it wasn't entirely awkward. Once the train stopped though Leonard thought he was going to throw up. He was here he, was actually here and that man Igor or something was to meet him at the train station, he was probably already here to meet him. Waiting for him to take them to that giant spooky castle.

"Leonard?" Penny asked as she stood up and grabbed her bags. "C'mon it's time to go, this is our stop." She must have noticed his uneasiness. "Aw, sweetie, are you nervous? Nothing to be nervous about," she wrapped her arm around his and pulled him up. After grabbing their bags they walked to the door of the train and stepped out into the cool evening air.

"So, where is this Ygor guy." Penny said looking around clutching to Leonard's arm like a life line.

"I don't know, you'd think he'd be right here…" He set down his bags and stood with Penny by his side. "Maybe he's just not here yet."

She nodded but was started by a voice calling out from the shadows.

"Dr. Frankenstein!"

They both spun around to see a short man standing almost directly behind them, how could they of not noticed him there? In fact he was almost on top of Leonard, getting a little too close for his liking. "Oh," Leonard said shakily. "You startled me, and its pronounced Fronkensteen."

"You're putting me on?" The man asked.

"No, my name it's pronounced Fronkensteen."

"And do you also say LOONard?"

"No…" By now he was getting a little frightened of this strange man. "Leonard."

"Why isn't it Loonard Fronkensteen?"

"'Cause it isn't."

"As you wish," the man bowed deeply which started both Penny and Leonard. "Master."

"Oh," Leonard said with a smile, happy that this was the man that was to pick them up and now just some crazy guy. Though a crazy guy might have been better, this man was scary. "Heh, master," he said bashfully to penny who gave an anxious smile of her own. "That means you might be Ygor."

He stared at him for a moment. "No, it's pronounced Igor."

"They told me it was Ygor."

"Well then they were wrong then, weren't they?"

"Did you know, Master," Igor said leading the pair away from the train station with a wide grin on his face. "That my granddad used to work for your granddad."

"Oh," Leonard said standing very stiff. "How nice."

"I'm sure we'll have lots of laughs, it's been my dream since I was a child that one day I would work for you."

"Is that so." Leonard said turning to Penny with a 'help me' expression.

Suddenly Igor began jumping around in excitement. "Oh! We'll open up the old laboratory dust off the operating table and reconnect all the wires and when everything's in tip top shape we'll creep out to the graveyard and dig up a nice fresh corpse." He ended far to close and personal to Leonard for comfort.

"Oh, no, no, no, no, no." Leonard said backing away with Penny still clinging to him. "I couldn't do that, I would never do that."

"Oh yes! The fantastic things we'll do, it'll be like old times you and me." He grinned and clutched onto the arm Penny wasn't currently holding. "Up there with the world's greatest pair! Together again!"

"What no! How will we be together again? I've only met you five minutes ago."

He faced him. "Together again for the first time, we've only met in a dream. You see up until now it's been an accursed time but now that you're here we're a team! We're just destined to be a great pair."

"No, we're not – " Leonard never got the chance to finish.

"All of my life I've had nothin' to do, I've just been stoogin' around. What good if a stooge if he ain't got a boss? See, that's where you come in, Master. You'll be the teacher, we'll make a new creature and scare the daylights right out of this town."

"Stop it, stop it!" Leonard cried holding his hands up. "You don't understand I'm only here for five days until I settle my grandfather's estate, no laboratories, no creatures."

"Bet you change your mind, Master. I'll bet you've been wantin' for a chance like this. You're the boss, you get to make the decisions, you have all the control."

"Okay!" Penny cried interrupting the creepy man. "I think that's enough of that."

"And who is this?" Igor asked as if he hadn't noticed her before.

"Um, Penny." She responded.

"Good work, Master, I hadn't been able to find you an assistance, it's a good thing you bought your own, is she willing to bend over backwards for you?"

Leonard paled for a moment with the thought of the double entendre but quickly shook his head to rid himself of that thought. "Oh, she's not my assistant."

Igor thought for a moment. "I see, Sir, she's that sort of girl."

"I am not!" Penny cried.

"Igor, I think maybe – " Leonard clapped him on the back and upon feeling the hump exchanged a look with Penny. "You know, I have a few contacts in my line of work, perhaps I could give you a hand with that hump."

Igor looked at him blankly. "What hump?"

Taking a deep breath Leonard carefully removed his hand as Igor lead them outside and to the road. "Okay, well, I think maybe we should get to the castle."

"Yes! Of course, castle Frankenstein where I can work humbly at your side."

Leonard rolled his eyes. "No, I told you, I have no interest in continuing my grandfather's wacky work. But speaking of the castle how exactly are we getting there?"

Once they reached the road Penny gasped with glee and covered her mouth happily. "Oh my God, really?" Igor nodded.

"What?" Leonard asked.

"It's a hay ride!" She cried jumped up onto the wagon. "I used to love this so much when I was kid, they always had them around Halloween!"

"Oh," he said and turned to Igor. "Could you help me with my bag?"

He looked dumbfounded for a moment. "The girl's already in the wagon." He said and moved to the front to steer the horses, Leonard only had a moment to load everything before Penny pulled him into the hay and they were off down the dark road.

"Kinda spooky." Leonard said nervously looking around at the dark trees looming overhead as he clutched the side of the wagon tightly so he wouldn't accidentally fall off.

"Aw, are you scared?" Penny asked putting her hand on his chest, this trip was certainly making her a little more… open then she normally was.

"No!" he quickly protested.

"Oh, sweetie, it's okay. You're in a hay ride now, haven't you ever been on one when you were a kid?" He shook his head slightly and in shock she fell down and draped herself over his legs. "Really? Oh they were amazing during the fall festivals, you got on them and all your troubles just washed away!" She realized her position and quickly got up. "Oh I'm sorry, I've probably been acting kinda spazzy, it's just it's just bring me down memory lane here. Don't hold it against me or anything."

"Oh, well I'll try not to." He said.

"We'd just hitch the horses up and have much fun! Nothing's better then a hay ride in the sun, or even in the scary dark." She motioned around them. "Sometimes you were even able to steal a kiss form the most unlikely people, in a good way too."

"Were you?" Leonard asked, he could feel his nerves getting the better of him. This certainly wasn't helping his immense crush on Penny.

"Oh yeah, all the time, so about this whole lab assistant thing." She said bending down over the edge of the wagon, dangling upside down, Leonard was quickly over her trying to make sure she didn't fall without looking like a pervert.

"I'm not gonna continue any of his research-"

She stopped him. "I know, I know, it's just if you were have you thought of any ways you could use me?"

He wasn't sure he could speak without his voice squeaking. Her position was not only suggestive but the bouncing of the wagon was making certain parts of her… well he had to pull his mind out of the gutter but despite himself he said. "Two and I'm working on a third."

She shot up nearly running into him. "Oh my God really? Would that mean I was hired?"

"Well…" He briefly looked down. "A large part of me is pointing in that direction."

She surprisingly remained ignorant to the many double entendre's he was hearing, which were just becoming overwhelming for him. "Awesome!" She cried and began crawling around the wagon.

"Um, Penny, what are you doing? Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"No," she scoffed and began crawling over the edge. "I used to do this all the time when I was a kid, its fun, try it."

"I don't think so."

As she lingers on the outside of the wagon a howl emitted from somewhere deep in the woods and she leaped back over and snuggled in his arms, much to his pleasure.

"What was that?" He asked glancing around.

"Werewolves." Penny said biting her bottom lip, they didn't have any werewolves in California… or as far as they knew.

"Werewolves?" Leonard asked making sure he had heard right.

"THERE! THERE WOLVES!" Igor cried jumping up from his seat in the front and nearly abandoning his job at coach.

"What?" Leonard was dumbfounded now.

"THERE WOLVES! THERE CASTLE!" he pointed to the woods around him and then the head of the trail where the tip of a great castle was beginning to come into view.

"Why are you talking like that?"

"I DON'T KNOW, I don't… I don't know…" Igor shrugged helplessly. "I thought you wanted me too."

"Well, I don't."

The hunchbacked man shrugged again and turned back to the horses. "Well have it your way, I'm easy." He pointed to Penny. "Better watch out for the wockers."

Leonard was considered a genius but even this was making his brain hurt. "What wockers?"

"The wockers with the knockers."

Penny seemed just as confused as Leonard was.

Leonard continued to push. "Wockers with the knockers?" He tried again.

Igor laughed shortly. "Go ahead! Play dumb but you'll lose your sockers and then be fockers."

Leonard and Penny exchanged confused shrugs but they weren't able to get any more words out before Igor spoke up once again. "Well, there it is, Master, Castle Frankenstein just as your granddad left it."

He took a deep breath and turned to Penny who was still in his lap. "Told you it was creepy."

"And wow, you were right." She said just as a bolt of lightening went off and she flinched causing her to snuggle in with Leonard deeper. He grinned, he was going to enjoy this trip after all.


	5. Chapter 5

Leonard slid out of the back of the wagon and held onto the edge tightly, he found that his legs were a little wobbly from the ride. Once he found his footing he took Penny's hand and guided her out before grabbing their bags with Penny's help. They followed Igor up the stone steps and to the front door. Upon the door were giant, impressive wooden knockers.

"Wow…" Leonard said staring up at the mansion and then at the hand carven doors.

"Yeah, wow." Penny agreed, but her eyes were still fixated on the castle, not the doors as Leonard were.

"Those are some big knockers." He breathed.

Penny's head snapped down, she looked at her chest and then at her friend. "Leonard!" She cried and probably would have given him a little slap if she wasn't holding her bags. Before she could move to put them down and strike him the door opened to reveal an older woman with hair in a tight bun, she wore an equally tight expression.

The woman cocked an eyebrow at them but that was the only movement that could be seen on her blank gaze. Her eyes shifted to Igor and then back to the young pair standing before her.

"Um… hi." Leonard said. "I'm Leonard and this is Penny, we're here to settle my grandfather's estate."

"Ah," She said suddenly and with a thick accent. "Dr. Frankenstein, I was expecting someone older, I am Frau Blücher," the horses who pulled the wagon whinnied and jumped only to be calmed down my Igor.

"Oh, well, hi." Leonard said with a smile, putting a bag down and sticking his hand out for her to shake.

She looked down at the hand and then turned around to walk back in the mansion without shaking it. Leonard and Penny exchanged a glance before he picked up his bag and followed her inside. "You're rooms are ready, Herr Doctor." She said as she lead them into the massive entrance hall where a grand staircase twirled up to the upper levels.

"This is epic." Penny whispered as they stepped up the long staircase with Frau leading them by candlelight. "But don't any of the lights work?"

Behind them Igor said, "They do, but it seems the storm either knocked them out or Frau Blücher," the horses whinnied outside. "Ain't quite right."

"Oh," Penny said with a false smile. "Wonderful."

When they reached the upper floors Leonard noticed the vast hallways and dozens of doors. "I'm gonna get lost in this place."

"If you're getting lost what hope does this give me?" Penny asked.

"I hope you find this comfortable." Frau said opening the third door down the hall. When Leonard stepped in his eyes widened, there were books helves covering the walls, the bed was twice the size of his one back home and above the fireplace there was a covered portrait. "It was Baron Victor's Room."

Leonard paused. "Who?"

She looked back before leaving him to the room. "I believe he would have been your Great, Great, Great, Grandfather. The keys to all the doors are on this ring, I'll leave it here." She said placing the key ring on a table on her way out, leading Penny away to one of the neighboring rooms.

"Uh, wait!" Leonard said jumped out the door to catch them before they vanished in the next room. "Does one of these keys open the laboratory?"

She paused. "You mean… the laboratory?"

"Yes! The laboratory."

"No! Dr. Frankenstein always kept that separate."

"Well, can I have it? … Please?"

Again, she paused. "Of course." She took a chain out from around her neck and before giving the skeleton key a quick kiss she set it on the table with the rest. Penny who witnessed all of this raised an eyebrow but none the less followed the strange woman to her own room.

Leonard turned back into his room and looked at the shelves, the books were vast and true he had read most of them but that didn't make the collection any less impressive. In the will he clearly remembered his grandfather saying there was a public and private library and these books were more those you'd find in a public one.

Whatever, he didn't let it bother him though, it was getting late, he had jetlag, but still he couldn't find himself sleeping. The place was just so big, he wanted to go out and walk around but maybe later… right now that Frau woman would probably still be walking around and to be frank she creeped him out. So to kill a little bit of time he grabbed one of the thick medical journals, plopped down on the large comfortable chairs, pulled his legs up to his chest, opened it to a random page and read.

About thirty pages later there was a soft knock at the door, he didn't want to move right now, he was rather comfortable how he was sitting on the chair. "What?" He called out and the door opened.

He peered up over his glasses which wasn't a smart move because then all he saw were random blurry colors. He pushed his glasses back up his nose and clarity flood his vision, he saw Penny standing at the door in her pajama pants and tank top wearing only pink fuzzy slippers on her feet, she looked rather out of place in the old mansion.

"Are you busy?" She asked noticing the think dust clad book in his hands.

"Oh, uh, no, no, no… what's up?"

She shrugged. "I dunno… can't get to sleep, strange bed I guess, strange everything really."

He huffed, he hadn't even tried yet, he couldn't imagine sleeping now. "I know the feeling." He said placing the book down on the table beside him.

"So, good book?" She asked sarcastically sitting down on the bed.

He stole a glance at it, actually it was actually a rather boring medical book from a century ago. "Oh yeah, yeah, human anatomy, always good for a read."

She giggled and Leonard shifted uncomfortably, this wasn't a trip to try and get in her pants. Howard's just an idiot, he had to keep remaining himself. Just when he opened his mouth to speak again there was a strange noise that erupted through the room. Both of them jerked their heads upward as it seemed to be coming from the attic, or even the roof.

"What's that?" Penny asked sharply.

Leonard got up, shuffled over the floor in his socks and peered out the large window. He couldn't see anything, not that he really expected to.

"Sounds like a trumpet." Leonard murmured.

"Who the hell is playing a trumpet this late… and on the roof?"

He shrugged again and moved away from the window. "Are you really that surprised in this place?"

She sucked on her teeth. "Yeah, you're right…" She said and moved to the back of the bed and leaned against the headboard.

"Do you uh… ya know, wanna," Leonard stumbled over his words. "Stick around tonight? Its just – " he didn't finish getting the rest of his words out before she bounced over and pulled him into a hug.

"Oh my God, Leonard, thank you! I was kinda afraid to ask but this place creeps me out." She said pulling back and sitting down on the bed again. "And to top it all of there's a full moon out and it makes scary shadows though my window."

Leonard was about to say 'it'll do the same in here' but he managed to stop himself before he did. "Ya know, why don't you get settled and I'll go shower and get in my pajama's and everything."

"I don't wanna kick you out." She protested.

"No, you're not I got my own bathroom in here… I think." He walked over to a door and nudged it open a few inches to see inside. "Yeah, I do." He confirmed and walked in the room grabbing his pajamas from his suitcase and a little case which held his toothbrush, toothpaste and other bathroom necessities.

Penny watched him walk in the room and suddenly found herself all alone again. She pulled herself back to the headboard again and crossed her legs. She wasn't comforted again until she heard the shower turn on in the bathroom reminding her she wasn't alone in the big castle.

When Leonard came out of the bathroom he was in blue checkered pajama pants and a solid blue shirt. He stopped short when he saw the bed though, Penny was lying under covers sound asleep. Feeling a little uncomfortable the supposed genius sashayed over slowly and sat down next to her. After a few minutes of just sitting he slid under the covers and laid beside her, slipping his glasses off and putting them on the night stand. He couldn't help but think this was a little awkward. But when Penny shifted in her sleep and put her arm across his chest only then did he ease himself into a peaceful sleep.

The sleep was only short lived though when Leonard bolted up in the bed practically throwing Penny off him. But for some reason she didn't react, she simply laid in the bed, sound asleep. "Penny?" He asked timidly, he must've woken from a nightmare, a nightmare he didn't quite remember. "Penny?" He asked again. "A – are you okay?" She didn't move.

"She can't hear you." Came a deep voice from another portion of the room.

Leonard flipped over to find his glasses on the table and when he slid them on his face he came face to face with an older man, in his fifties perhaps. "Who are you?" he asked sitting up in the bed.

"Oh, come now, Leonard, don't you know your family tree?"

Leonard thought, this wasn't anyone he knew, but then again since this was probably his fathers side he wouldn't know. Not much was know about them. "Uh…" He stalled.

"Of course, you wouldn't remember me, I did die well over a hundred years before you were born."

"Oh." Leonard was all he could bring himself to say.

"It's I," he said turning to the cover portrait above the fireplace mantle and whipping the coverings off. "Victor Von Frankenstein, your Great, Great, Great Grandfather. But you can just call me Grandfather, I find the greats get in the way."

"Oh." He said again.

"How dare you call yourself Fronkensteen… my only living relative…"

This was it, Leonard thought, he had finally gone crazy. People always said the smart ones were the ones who went crazy first, but he always thought it'd be Sheldon before him.

"You're not going crazy, son."

"That's easy for you to say." He forced out. Now accepting he was either insane or perhaps still dreaming he asked, "Why are you here?"

"You know, boy," Victor began putting his hands in his pockets and pacing through the room. "We've been the pride of Romania since 1201, passed on for generations, father to son. You're descended from gypsies, as proud as we can be. Don't risk my curse, it could be worse! Embrace your family tree."

"Huh?" he crawled to the end of the large bed.

He walked over to Leonard and leaned down so their faces were only inches apart. "I'm saying, join the family business!" He jumped back with his arms spread out wide. "Learn the trade, make yourself a monster and make the world afraid!"

"It's impossible, it was all blown out of proportion it never actually happened – "

"Oh but it did, happen, I made it happen!" He cried with a large grin. "You're embarrassing your family, you must uphold our honor! Take our name, its not something to be ashamed of, you're a descendent of the brightest minds in history, no one other then a Frankenstein and reanimate a dead man! When it comes to making monsters you can't beat the Frankenstein's!"

"Thanks, but uh… I'm happy where I am."

"No, you're not! I know you're not! You must join the family business, you know you want to rob a grave or two, stop the shop from closing it all depends on you. You're the only Frankenstein left, your father doesn't have the vision for this he never has, but you, my boy, you're a miracle."

"I'm not the smartest – "

"You are! You don't solely base your information on what you read, you're a visionary you think of new and better things! You're perfect." Once again he was right in Leonard's face making him squirm.

"I don't wanna be perfect."

"I see there will need to be some convincing. My boy, meet your family!"

With that several scientists appeared out of thin air, it was like all the mad scientists from all cheesy horror movies had come together in his bedroom. On one half of the room was three men and one woman who wore white lab coats, they were without a doubt true blood Frankenstein's. On the other side there was three women, all very pretty, and one man, they were not in the mad scientist garb, they were more the assistant type. They all looked to be from different generations.

"You, my boy," Victor said taking a man and woman from each group remind me of a certain Frankenstein quite a few years ago."

Leonard stared at the man before him, he looked familiar. "Grandpa?" He asked, this was the very man he had come to settle the estate of, he recognized him from the last time they met however then he was an old man, now he looked no older than thirty.

"Hello, son." Fredrick Frankenstein said with a smile. "You know, there's a reason I left everything to you. You're brilliant, Leonard, your father never had what it takes and I'm not trying to be cruel, he was never interested in the family business, my father before me wasn't either. But you, you have true potential and I'm not going to allow you to just throw it all away without giving it a chance."

"I don't wanna."

"Haha, nor did I, but trust me. It's addicting. You'll make the monster and then," he looked to the young busty woman who he currently had his arm wrapped around. "You'll make his bride."

"Grandma?" Leonard squealed and thought nauseous for thinking his grandmother was cute.

Just then a thought occurred to him, he knew his grandmother was named Inga, taking a glance at Penny he vaguely wondered… she said she was named after someone in her family.

"Are we…?" He never got the rest of the question out.

"Not directly, darling," his mother answered with her perky German accent. "I used to baby sit her mother when she was a child! Well I haven't yet… I don't do that for another twenty years?"

"Just about." Fredrick answered his wife. "However, your relation to your young friend is not why we came for a visit."

"I didn't think so."

"Listen to your Great, Great, Great, Great, Great… one more great?" He asked the broad shouldered scientist beside him.

He nodded.

"Great Grandfather Mordecai!"

The large man stepped forward and said in a baritone voice. "Join the family business boy, if you don't wanna die!" Leonard cringed.

"Because you're a Frankenstein," one of is relatives said. "You have no choice."

"You can't decline." The woman scientist said. "So get some spine and join the family pact!"

"This is your fate!" Another said.

"Become a Frankenstein before it's too late!" One of the blonde assistants cried.

"Are you?" Leonard asked the woman.

"I am now," she replied and cuddled with one of the scientists as the rest of the scientists joined up with their assistants.

"All Frankenstein's marry their assistants." Her husband said.

"Oh," Leonard said and stole a glance at the still sleeping Penny.

"Join the family enterprise!" Victor took over again pushing Fredrick and Inga out of the way. "Best be prudent, best we wise, it's time to open up your eyes. Come on now, don't make a scene, you're names not Fronkesteen!" He spat advancing on his grandchild. "Do not make a fuss," he ordered. "There's nothing to discuss, you must be one of us!"

All the men and women cried out in the room in unison. "Young Frankenstein!"

"Ah!" Leonard cried out as his eyes snapped open and he was in a dark room once again with Penny's arm across his chest, he hadn't woken her up. He looked around and though all he could see a bur he could tell no people were in the room with him, particularly no people with bright white lab coats. So, it was all just a dream.

Closing his eyes to try and fall back to sleep a strange sound penetrated his ears. Fearing that maybe there were people in the room he shot up making Penny fly off him. If she hadn't woken up from his nightmare she was up now.

"Do you hear that?" He asked sharply fumbling in the dark for his glasses.

Penny shot up beside him, a little disgruntled for being waken up so abruptly and in such a way, she wasn't a morning person even though it wasn't exactly morning. "What? No, Leonard, what are you… doing?" She trailed off as she too became aware of the soft violin music playing.

"It sounds like it's coming from the bookcase." He said in amazement as she crawled form the bed, putting his glasses on his face.

"When did it start?" She asked following him and sliding her feet back in her pink fuzzy slippers.

"I don't know, it just woke me up."

"Hey," she began excitedly, "Wouldn't it be neat if one of these books opened up into some secret staircase?"

"That's only stuff you find in cheepo horror movies… but yeah." He snorted with a smile. "Hey, could you hand me that candle so I can see?"

"Sure," she said and walked over to the candles on the wall. "Gonna look for that special book that opens the secret – " She was cut off when she grabbed the candlestick, she pulled it out of the holder but heard a grinding noise. She glanced over to see the bookcase flip around and gave a small squeal. "Uh… Leonard?" She asked walking back to the bookcase which had completely turned around with a blank stare.

"I'm here." Came the slightly whinny and muffled voice from the other side.

"Where are you?"

"In a secret passage, apparently. It must've been the candle."

"I'm gonna put it back."

"Okay."

She put it back to see the bookcase turn around to the original side, only difference was now Leonard was pinned to the bookcase however before they could do anything it flipped around again.

"Put. The candle. Back." Leonard said slowly from the other side.

Penny put the candle back and the bookcase flipped around, only this time, Leonard had the bright idea to try and get out first only resulting in his getting stuck between the bookcase and the side.

"You've never played double dutch, have you?" Penny asked putting a hand on her hip.

"Okay… Penny," Leonard began, muffled and his voice raised a couple octaves from being pinned. "I need you to listen very closely. Don't put the candle back. I need you to shove the other side of the bookcase as hard as you can. You got that?"

"I think so." Penny said putting the candle down on a table. With all her might she pushed the other side of the bookcase, opposite where Leonard was stuck. The bookcase moved, but now she was getting thrown behind it while he stayed in the bedroom.

"Penny?" He asked when the bookcase ceased moving.

There was a slight pause. "Put. The candle. Back." She said slowly and carefully.

Leonard picked up the candle and put it back for a few seconds, but then taking it out when a gap appeared between the bookcase and other normal shelves. He kept the candle out and the bookcase came to a halt, revealing the passage way.

"Look, Leonard." Penny said pointing to the passage way. "Let's go."

"Eeh… I dunno…"

"Oh come on, are you afraid?"

"No, it's just I don't like small, dark spaces with the possibility of big spiders and we don't even know where it goes or what's in there. Besides I don't have shoes on." He added as an afterthought.

"There's only one way to find out, and who needs shoes?" She offered her arm to him.

Moaning, Leonard linked arms with her and the pair walked down the dank, and dirty staircase with only the small candlelight Leonard grabbed from another table to light the way.


	6. Chapter 6

They walked down the steps, his bare feet patting on the cold stone stairs, every now and then he'd rub them on his pants leg in a feeble attempt to warm them, he was really wishing he had grabbed a pair of socks at least. The couple were practically flinching at every little thing as they followed the soft melody of music. Then suddenly as they descended the hauntingly beautiful music stopped. The two looked to one another and subconsciously clung to each other tighter. They took the last few steps before a light flooded into the staircase from a large room below them.

They crept down the stairs a little further and once they entered the room the first thing they became acquainted with was a shelf full of skulls. Penny took a in a sharp breath and clung to her nerdy savior for dear life. As they examine each head they came to one that looks eerily familiar and Leonard yelped almost dropping the candle when the large eyes on the head moved to stare at him.

"Igor!" He cried.

"Fro-drick!" Igor cried with a big smile on the other side of the shelf.

"What are you doing back there? You nearly gave me a heart attack." He moaned.

"I got frightened all alone upstairs so I came down here." The strange man replied coming out from behind the shelf.

"But what were you doing?" Leonard pushed.

Igor looked back as he continued on. "Just putting on some tea, do you want some?"

"Uh, no, thanks, did you hear any music? Violin to be exact?"

"Well it had to of come from somewhere," Penny said breaking off from Leonard and wandering deeper into the room. "Maybe there was someone else down here. Hey, Igor, are there any lights in this place?"

"Two switches, over there." He nodded to the wall and penny walked over, feeling around the wall for them. She cried out in triumph when she found them and flipped one of the switches, instead of lights sparks flew out above their heads causing Penny and Leonard to duck and shield their heads.

"Well," Igor said. "It works for the atmosphere."

She turned that switch off and tried the other one which allowed the normal lights to illuminate the room. "That's better."

"The laboratory…" Leonard said looking around and taking the old room in, it was dusty and covered in cobwebs but it was still the room where all the scientific discoveries were made by his ancestors.

"What a mess." Penny noted.

Igor shrugged. "I dunno, a new paint job, some flowers…"

"Are you sure there's no one else in here?" Leonard asked turning back to Igor.

"No, but when I first came in there was a bright light behind that steel door." He pointed across the room to a heavy door which was indeed made of steel.

Leonard slowly stepped over to the slightly open door with Penny at his side and Igor behind them. He reached out and nudged the door ever so slightly so it would open up enough for the three to fit through and when they did step through Leonard couldn't help but break out into a great smile.

"Oh my God…"

"What is it?" Penny asked, confused.

"I think it's my grandfather's private library… and look! It's the violin that explains the music." He said pointing to the delicate string instrument which sat in the middle of the room, however the bow was missing.

"But who was playing it? It wasn't playing itself, not even in a place like this." Penny spoke out.

"Whoever it was has a taste for cigars." Leonard said picking up the smoldering cigar in the ashtray. "They didn't even put it out. Hey, Igor, lemmie smell your breath." He said waving the hunchback servant over.

Igor took a breath and breathed a mouthful of stale air in Leonard's face making him cough and sputter. "Okay, okay, so it wasn't you. But FYI you could use a breath mint."

"So who was it?" Penny asked and slowly all their eyes were drawn to one of the sheets that covered a nearby bookshelf. They exchanged knowing looks before quietly they snuck over and Leonard whipped open the sheet to reveal Frau behind it holding a bow. When she realized the jig was up she let out a breath and a puff of smoke came out.

"Ah- ha!" Penny cried dramatically. "Frau Blücher!" Somewhere outside they heard horse's whinnie.

"So it was you playing!?" Leonard accused.

"Yes," She admitted getting down from her hiding spot. "It was a tune that would sooth the creature your ancestors created. Your Grandfather never had the chance to create his own monster, oh he tried and he would succeed but the life wouldn't last. Only Victor and Fredrick ever had the skill to create lasting life!"

"So, this is why you kissed the key to his laboratory?" Leonard cried.

"Yes!" She screamed playing a harsh note on the violin.

"You were the reason that cigar was left smoldering in the ashtray?"

"Yes!" Another note.

"So you were not just his housekeeper?"

"Yes!" Note.

"You and my Grandfather were – "

"Yes!" A note. "Wait, no."

"No?" Leonard asked.

"I was your grandfathers housekeeper, nothing more then that to him, he loved your grandmother. There was another man..." She gazed off into the distance,

"Who?" Penny asked, intrigued.

Frau looked to the blonde and then back to Leonard. "You're father lived here but with another, he had more then one son, you know?"

"Uncle Victor?" Leonard asked.

"You have an Uncle Victor?" Penny asked.

"Named after Victor Von Frankenstein, yeah, my dad's big brother, he died a little while ago he never left Transylvania... So he was..."

Frau took a moment to reposition her violin and played another note. "Say it! He was my boyfriend!"

"Ew!" Leonard, Penny and Igor exclaimed.

She glared at him, over the course of the screaming somehow the top buttons on her dress had come undone and her breast were… well… there making Leonard once again uncomfortable. "Loves comes when you least suspect it." She defended herself. "Love dances in on a whim, I thought I could direct it but I never expected… a guy like him."

"What was he like?" Penny asked in wonder, imagining a sweet romantic gentleman.

Frau sucked on her teeth and raised an eyebrow. "He was a bully and a brute he was monster and beast, his midnight banging's never ceased, but I didn't care. He was my boyfriend." She propped her leg up on a chair, her skirt hiked up showing off thigh high fishnets

Penny seemed appalled by the man so far but continued to listen to the older woman speak.

"I was as pure as a virgin meadow, lying with him in the gloom. Then he turned to me that charmer, whispered lets play farmer and he plowed me till the cows came home! Hahaha…" She laughed leaning backward across the chair.

"This is a lot of information." Igor mumbled to Leonard and Penny.

"He always flirted with every woman he saw, he treated me dirt, but I was happy to be hurt. Oh, but I'll never forget the first time I met him. It was on the village green, at the annual bock beer festival, where every beer cost a bock. I was an innocent young lamb and he was a dirty old goat." She collapsed to the ground. "We were made for each other. All of a sudden, he took out his paraphernalia and shouted, 'Let's play croquet!', and off to the field we went. He carried his hoops and mallets and I carried his balls… oh, such beautiful balls. What a festival! Fun and games all day long, archery, badminton, potato sack. Victor won the three-legged race... all by himself. It was love at first sight."

"Sounds lovely." Leonard mumbled.

"He was the one I gave my heart to but we never wed even so, when I mentioned wedlock he'd put me in a headlock, when I asked to be his wife he stabbed me with a kitchen knife! Ach, where did the good times go!?"

The trio were now a little frightened at the strange mood change of the previously stone faced woman.

She stood up and sat back on the chair. "If he had an angry fit, I was the first thing that he hit! But I didn't give a shit!" She was near crying now. "He was my boyfriend!"

"Oh my God," Penny said, beating Leonard to the punch. "If he treated you like that there is no good reason for staying with him all those years."

"I'm not sure," she said over dramatically. "I can't really say, maybe it was his posture, he was always erect." She stood up abruptly and put her leg on the chair. "He was my boyfriend!"

"And quite a boyfriend he was." Penny rolled her eyes ands pushed a lock of stray blond hair behind her ear.

Frau got down off the chair and straightened herself up.

"Hey…" Leonard said walking over to the table and peering down at a large book entitled 'How I Did It' by Victor Frankenstein. "What's this?"

"Clever title," Igor rolled his eyes when he caught sight of it.

"It is Victor's notes, shame my own dear departed Victor never unserstood them, he didn't have all the brains your grandfather had." Frau said peering at them. "It is an old book, I would advise you to be careful with it." She growled buttoning back up her blouse. "He must have read that book cover to cover a thousand times, but he couldn't understand the mechanics of it all."

"Of course he couldn't it makes no sense. Haha," Leonard laughed as he opened it and began to thumb through the old wrinkled yellow pages. "This is a laugh… reanimating the dead." He mused as his eyes began to scan the first page.

"Believe what you want, Herr Doctor, Victor the first did it, Fredrick did it, just because you don't think you can does not mean you can deny it ever happened."

Leonard scowled. "I can't do it because it didn't happen. They were bunch of mad grave robbers and the media blew their and I'll quote 'discoveries' out of proportion thus making a countless number of horror movies about it." He said flopping himself down on the nearest chair and pulling his bare feet up.

Penny moaned and sat down next to him on the couch leaning back and shutting her eyes. "Well," She began. "I'm not going back upstairs alone, so until you decide reading time is over I'm gonna get some shut eye."

After a few minutes of Leonard reading and laughing the rest of the group dropped down as Penny did and fell asleep. They were only woken every now and then by Leonard crying out with laughter or blurting out a passage from the book. But soon due to the late hour and near peacefulness of the room they were asleep again. Almost two hours later Leonard was still reading and he had read nearly the whole thing when he stood up abruptly and yelled out.

"He was insane, absolutely mad!" However his eyes still darted across the pages.

"Leonard…" Penny moaned as she had been woken up along with the other two inhabitants. "Are you still reading that? Come on, let's go to bed, I'm tired."

"Penny, you don't understand… this could work!"

She paused. "Wait, say that again."

"It makes sense."

"No," she protested standing up on her knees on the couch to look at him. "You're not making sense, aren't you the one who always said this was impossible your relatives were mad, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda."

"Yes, but that was before I understood what he was saying. My Great, Great, and so on grandfather was a genius."

Frau and Igor smirked to one another, they knew life would once again be born within the castle walls.

"So," Penny struggled. "What are you saying, exactly?"

Leonard looked up from the notes. "I don't know really… I think I have to try this. I know I can do it. It'll take work, he didn't write everything down perfectly but if my Grandfather can do it I can do it." He grinned like a madman behind his thick framed glasses.

"Leonard, you're not making sense, you're not saying you're going to stay here… are you?"

"I have to." He breathed.

"No! You don't what about California? What about Caltech? And Sheldon, and Howard and Raj? You can't just leave everything behind!"

He peered up at her. "I can, and I will." Even in his wildest dreams he never thought he would be saying such things to Penny.

"No! I won't let you!"

"I am."

She sighed and rubbed her face with a defeated shrug. "Well, then looks like I better have some more of my things shipped over."

He gave her a strange look. "Why?"

She scoffed. "Come on, I'm not letting you stay here alone. You're gonna need me around whether you know it now or not." She said moving her hands up to her hips and sucking her teeth in classic Penny fashion.

"I can't ask you to get up and just move like this, what about your acting jobs and the Cheesecake Factory?"

"Leonard, I've been here a long time, so far my acting jigs have been just about as good as Sheldon's love life. I haven't gotten a promotion yet and I don't think I will, I'm under appreciated there and I think we all know that. My boyfriends have been less then mediocre I'm just going downhill I could use the vacation. Besides," she grinned. "You'll need your beautiful lab assistant."

Leonard's mind immediately shifted over to his relatives saying the scientist always married his, or her, assistant and he grinned. "Well alright. We'll work together, create a monster, make it live and terrorize people and all that."

Penny smiled. "Sounds cool, we should call the guys and tell them."

"Eh, not exactly what we're up to though, I know them and they'll wanna come here and help."

"That's a bad thing?" She asked.

He smiled at her. "I could use a break, and besides, you never hear about the scientist, his beautiful assistant and his geeky friends hanging around playing WoW."

She giggled as she pulled his arm around her shoulders as they walked out of the private library and back into the laboratory followed by Frau and Igor. "Makes sense, so we just tell them its taking longer to settle your Grandfathers affairs then we thought? Maybe we decided to do a bit of sight seeing?"

"That sounds perfect."

"Does this mean we can go to bed now?" She pleaded.

"You still don't wanna sleep on your own?" Leonard asked, praying the answer was no.

"No… I think I could still use some company tonight. But don't think this'll be a permanent thing, since this'll be my home for the next couple whatever I think I should get used to sleeping in my own bed."

"Of course." He said, but he thought, dammit.


	7. Chapter 7

Penny awoke the next morning still in Leonard's bed. She sat up and looked out the window, the sun was shinning brightly on her face, that must have been what awoke her. Moaning she collapsed back down and shoved her face into the pillow wrapping her arms around it. It took her a moment to realize that she was lying in the bed alone, not that she expected to wake up with Leonard's arms wrapped around her wait, though honestly she wouldn't have minded it. He was an early riser, she knew that, he was probably downstairs in the library or settling his grandfathers estate.

She pushed the covers off herself and swung her legs over the bed feeling around for her pink plush slippers before sliding them on. She went to grab her robe but then decided against it, it wasn't like she was going outside or anything. She stepped out of the bedroom and looked around for a moment to remember how exactly to get downstairs before actually moving. It was a large castle and it was early, or at least to her it was, so at the moment she was a little disoriented.

She hopped down the stairs and once she reached the first floor it took her a minute but she found the kitchen. It was very rustic like the rest of the house but it held some modern appliances, a stove, even though it looked old, a refrigerator, a microwave and a sink with running water hopefully. She didn't see Leonard anywhere but she saw a bowl and spoon in the sink so unless someone else in the house ate cereal, which she doubted from these people, it was from him.

She opened the refrigerator and found there was a half filled gallon of milk in there with very little food. The cabinet didn't have much, just the box of cereal she and Leonard had brought with them to munch on while on the train and a few other things, nothing that could serve as an appropriate breakfast.

Pulling a face and closing the cabinet she leaned against it for a moment. Usually if she had nothing to eat she would go next door and bum a little food off them, much to Sheldon's displeasure, before going shopping. She couldn't really do that right now.

Running a hand through her blonde hair she went off looking for Leonard, she hoped he was here. She checked all around the mansion and even dared to walk though a few corridors that seemed like they hadn't been touched in years almost getting herself lost. She wasn't sure how long she had been looking and calling for him but eventually she was positive Leonard wasn't here. She stopped and let out a long frustrated grunt, she was hoping she wouldn't have to go back down to the creepy lab again but if he wasn't here he was probably down there, he would have left her a note if he left the house completely.

After going to her room to grab the penlight on her keychain she headed to the bookshelf to move the book and jump in the secret passageway once the staircase moved out of the way. She pushed the little button on her light making a blue light illuminate the musty stairs. She grumbled as she walked down them complaining about Leonard all the way. When she reached the bottom she walked into the lab and library to see Leonard still reading the ancient book they had found last night.

"Leonard?" She asked walking over to him fingering the hem of her pink and gray lounging shorts.

His head shot up and she could see he was sleep deprived; there were dark circles under his eyes and his hair was a complete mess. "Penny," he said the corner of his mouth going up in a momentary smile. "What are you doing down here?"

She laughed humorlessly. "Uh, looking for you?" She said moving her hands to her hips. "How long have you been down here?"

"Um," he scratched his head and looked back down to the book. "Not – not long."

"Really?" She asked. "Well, last night when we went to bed you had that thing nearly finished and now suddenly you're back to being a third in. Are you rereading it?"

Leonard looked at the book and quickly shut it. "Well, uh, I wanted to reread the beginning… I wasn't paying much attention the first time I read it?" He tried knowing that Penny wasn't falling for that.

"Whatever, Leonard, look just get dressed because I'm hungry and you're taking me to breakfast." She said with a smile taking the book from his lap and putting it on the table. "It'll be here when we come back and you've been reading a long time now down here and that can't be too healthy, at least let me try and straighten it up a bit before we do any work."

"Straighten up?" Leonard laughed as she pulled him up the stairs. "Penny, I've seen your apartment, straightening up isn't exactly your forte."

She shot him a dirty look. "I can clean, I just chose not to."

"Fair enough."

She pulled him further up the stairs and back to his bedroom, she pushed him in and skipped off to her own to get ready. It didn't take long, it was just breakfast and it wasn't like they were going out on the town, they were in Transylvania, she was pretty sure it didn't matter too much if she looked her best. So, after deciding she looked decent enough for their outing she grabbed her purse and opened her bedroom door to find Leonard leaning against the frame waiting for her.

"I didn't take too long, did I?" She asked as they began to walk down the hall.

He shook his head. "No, not at all." It was a lie.

When they reached the bottom of the stairs they were met face to face with Frau Blücher. She raised her eyebrow at them. "Where are you two off to?"

"Oh Leonard's taking me out for breakfast." Penny said hugging Leonard's arm. "We'll be back in a few hours then we can start the monster making. Okay?"

Knowing she could do nothing to stop them Frau stepped aside to let them pass. She grumbled though that it was good they were making a monster but the fact that their Dr. Frankenstein was so young and love struck wasn't the best.

Leonard and Penny stepped out of the castle and down the long driveway and onto the road which lead into the town. The carriage sat in the driveway and the horses were in their stalls, there was an old car sitting in the driveway but Leonard had a feeling it hadn't been used in a very long time and he wasn't about to try it out.

They got into town fifteen minutes later, it was defiantly small. Leonard wondered if they had their own little school house for the kids or if they got bussed to another town. There was a well in the center which looked like it still got used which they found somewhat odd but were able to pass it off, maybe it was historical so they just kept it in good condition.

There was a small diner in the center of town; it seemed pretty busy so the two assumed it must have been a local hang out. The second they entered with Penny's arm wrapped around his everyone and everything seemed to go quiet and everyone looked at them, being the outsiders in a small town wasn't fabulous. They tried to ignore the looks and sat down in the nearest booth on the other side of the diner and waited for someone to come along.

"Everyone's looking at us." Penny said as she brought up her menu but kept her eyes on Leonard.

"We're strangers, it's only natural. Besides considering what my relatives have done to this place in the past it's not to surprising they stare at us."

"As long as they don't spit in my food." Penny grumbled.

"Do they really do that?" Leonard asked.

Penny looked up. "I'm a waitress, Leonard, yes, yes we do."

Seconds later a woman walked over and smiled down at them. "Can I get you anything to start off with?" She asked in a thick Transylvanian accent. "Something to drink?"

"Coffee would be amazing," Penny said setting her menu down. "Thank you."

"Um, yeah, coffee." Leonard said.

The woman nodded. "Alright then," she said and walked off to the counter.

"Coffee?" Penny asked. "Black?"

He shrugged. "When you're an experimental physicist you find yourself staying up very, very late and waking up very, very early and sometimes not sleeping at all during college. I don't know how Sheldon lasted this long without coffee in his diet."

She smiled and glanced down at the menu again. "What do I want?" She asked herself. "Pancakes… I want pancakes. What's pancakes on this menu this food is weird."

"We're in Transylvania, foods gonna be different."

"How is food different? Food is food." She said and scanned the menu more. "Oh my God, you can get a shot of brandy with your breakfast." She pointed out.

Leonard had actually already eaten his breakfast, but that was six hours ago when you could hardly consider it morning, in fact he knew Penny wouldn't consider it morning so a second breakfast was in order. The coffee was placed in front of him without realizing the woman had come back. She had her little pad out with a pen ready to write down their orders.

"Are you ready to order?"

"Uh… yeah, can I have the pancakes, with the sausage side and an over easy egg." Penny said handing the woman the menu.

"Of course, and you?" She asked Leonard.

He stared at the menu for another second before answering. "Um, bacon and scrambled eggs please with toast." He said putting some sugar in his coffee.

She nodded and with a smile walked off again, they wondered how long she kept that perky smile on after she left the table.

Their food came quicker then they expected, it must have been one of the perks of it being such a small diner with a small crowd. Although since they lived in Pasadena this service may have been normal, most of the restaurants they went to were always crowded.

"You are Frankenstein's grandson?"

"Uh, yeah." Leonard said with a sigh.

"You're here to take care of things then you're going back to California, yes?" She asked placing Penny's food down.

"Um, actually, we might stay awhile and uh, sort through his things. My family has put together quite a collection over the years." Leonard said, it wasn't exactly a lie but telling everybody he planned to make another Frankenstein monster wasn't a good idea.

The woman nodded her and head and rushed off, she had obviously been asked to talk to them about it to see how long they were planning on staying. They could see her out of the corner of their eyes talking to the man working behind the counter and several customers around them.

"They're certainly not discreet." Leonard mumbled poking at his food with his fork.

Penny shrugged. "I'm not too worried about it, they'll just have to get used to it."

Leonard nodded and couldn't help his mind from wandering back to what he would have to do to build this creature. "Penny…" He began. "I'm going to have to rob graves, aren't I?"

She pulled a face. "Well… maybe. But I mean, and I can't believe this sentence is actually leaving my mouth, there must be easier ways to get dead bodies. Like, people who donate their bodies to science! This is science."

"Yeah," Leonard said in thought. "I don't want to grave rob, that's mean."

"You're a well respected physicist and a child prodigy, or at least you were when you were a child. I'm sure you could pull some strings, I'm sure you know people."

"I'll need a brain too."

"Pssh!" She waved it off with her fork. "Brains are easy access. Don't worry about it now, Leonard, just eat your breakfast and then when we get back to the castle we can worry about it then with Frau and Igor." She paused and smiled after a moment. "I have to tell you though, moving in next door to you guys was probably the best decision I have ever made in my entire life. Past all the weird stuff you guys do I gotta say if I never met you I wouldn't be in Transylvania right now getting ready to make a monster from spare body parts. I'd be in some other apartment getting ready for my dead end job and continuing to go to audition after audition without so much as a call back."

"I'm glad you moved in too." Leonard said with a shy smile. "If you hadn't I'd be stuck here all alone."

"You wouldn't be all alone, I'm sure one of the guys if not all of them would have wanted to come. Besides, Igor and Frau are there."

"Yeah, but…" he lowered his head so she wouldn't see him blushing. "I sort of prefer your company, especially here."

"Aw, Leonard," she said and leaned across the table to give him a light kiss on the cheek. "You're so sweet."

Now blushing even further he lowered his head to his food and but his lip.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN:** Like always, all mistakes are mine I try to go over it but I fail, I don't have a beta for this story.

Two hours later when Leonard and Penny arrived back at the castle with his arm wrapped around hers they found that Igor and Frau were no where to be found. After looking for them for a minute they decided to head down to the laboratory to begin making a decent work space. They found that when they reached the laboratory it was already lit up and in working order. Frau and Igor were down there cleaning the entire space, it was like they had planned for this their whole lives, and they might have.

"Hey," Leonard said smiling and looking around. "Not half bad."

"Thank you, Master," Igor said looking around proudly at his work.

"I believe we have done all the cleaning that is needed for now, herr doctor." Frau said stiffly looking around the laboratory. "We can begin when you feel it is fit."

"Oh," Leonard said slightly caught off guard. "Um, well, let me just read through it a little more so I have a better idea of what I'm doing here. It's a delicate process I'd hate to screw it up and then we'd have to do it all over again."

"Well," Penny said. "While you do that I'm going to go find something more appropriate to wear. I like this shirt and I'd hate to, you know, get monster goo on it or something." She said before rushing out of the laboratory.

Leonard hardly heard her, he was once again enthralled in the book as Igor sat idly in a chair with a sketch pad on his lap and a pencil. Frau stood over him waiting for their doctor to say something, it turned out they were waiting longer then anticipated. Leonard got lost in the writing only every now and then looking up to ponder something before looking back down and sometimes he'd say something describing the monster and Igor would proceed to draw that feature then he would stop. The two Transylvanians looked at one another and rolled their eyes, one of them had to say something to get the young Frankenstein out of his trance.

But thankfully Penny came bounding down the stairs and Leonard was pulled away from his work. He was slightly started at her appearance; she looked good for coming down to work on a monster. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun, she was wearing shorts and a t-shirt that was obviously old but still fit her curves very well. She was wearing pink flats that contrasted against the rest of the laboratory perfectly. It only got better when she reached over and grabbed one of the lab coats that were hung on the wall and put it on.

"I feel smart already," she said trotting over to them. "Okay what did I miss?"

"Look at this," Leonard began pointing to a spot in the book. "As the minuteness of the parts formed a great hindrance to my speed, I resolved to make the Creature of a gigantic stature." He looked back up at Penny with a smile. "That makes sense that resolves everything."

"Sure it does," Penny said not quite understanding it fully as her eyes scanned the book. "Oh my God, Leonard, look." She gigged pointing to a paragraph.

Leonard began to read aloud without realizing what he was reading just yet. "Dilation of his sacral parasympathetic impulses would cause an increase in flow of blood and the erection to approximately nineteen inches of his apparatus genitals." Immediately Leonard started blushing as he rubbed the back of his neck. "That's… that's something."

"His what!?" Igor called from his seat.

Penny giggled again. "Wow, a nineteen inch drill."

"Anyway!" Leonard said shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts. "What are we looking at here? Eight feet tall, all features proportionately large."

"Well, of course they'd be large if he was eight feet tall." Penny mused.

"I know, I know," Leonard insisted. "Just thinking out loud."

"Something like this?" Igor said showing them all his sketch of the monster. It was surprisingly accurate to what they assumed they were looking for.

"You got something there," Leonard smirked. "I think this just might be our man."

"So," Penny began. "What now we just go… find dead people?"

"Well, it's not quite that simple," Leonard began but stopped himself before he ended up insulting Penny. "Well, it is, but I mean." He began stuttering. "I'm just going to go call a few places and see if I can get a cadaver." Leonard said and ran from the room.

"Cadaver?" Frau asked giving Igor a small glance.

"Yeah," Penny said plopping down on a chair. "You know a dead guy."

"There are easier ways to get the dead then calling people for cadavers." She began. "This will take long."

"Well, we thought about that, and by that I mean grave robbing, but I don't know. Leonard and I just aren't that into digging up the corpses of the dead. It doesn't sit well with us so Leonard is using his contacts and seeing if we can get a couple cadavers."

"And if he can't?" Igor asked.

Penny shrugged. "I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get to it."

Several hours later Penny sat upstairs in the sitting room with her ipod in her ears and a magazine in her lap. She was humming along to the music when Leonard entered and he was grateful she wasn't singing along. He loved Penny, but her voice wasn't fantastic.

He collapsed on the plush chair next to her gaining her attention. She pulled the headphones from her ears and threw the magazine down. She turned to him with a wide smile with excitement bouncing beneath her eyes. "Well? What's the verdict do we have our cadaver?" After a pause she added. "You don't look happy, no?"

"No," Leonard confirmed. "After being on hold for the longest time at all three places I finally got to talk to the men and woman I wanted to talk to, and they would have loved to help me if I was teaching a class at Caltech they said they would have no problem with it as long as I provided them with exactly why I would need a cadaver for a technology class. But, still, I told them I was asked to do a lesson here and I would need a cadaver for the lesson they said they can't ship one that far for me."

Penny groaned and rested her head on the arm rest of the chair. "What now?" She asked dejectedly. "If we don't have a cadaver we can't do it."

Leonard absent mindedly shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, we always have the local morgue."

Penny scoffed. "Yeah, they know who you are Leonard, they know me and they know Frau and Igor. None of us can just waltz in there and request a cadaver without them knowing what we're up to."

He sighed and took his glasses of before rubbing his eyes. "Then… I guess we only have one more option."

"Please tell me you mean going far enough away to find a body from another morgue."

He slowly shook his head.

"Oh, no, no, no, ew. I'm not going to grave rob some poor guys dead body. I mean even if he is dead that's just mean. Think about the family, what if he has a wife and kids what if they come to visit his gave? Nothing will be there, just a hole in the ground." She whined.

"Which is exactly why I propose we find something who had no family, no friends."

"A John Doe?" Penny asked. "Isn't that kind of just as bad? I mean… I don't know that doesn't sit too much better."

"No, not a John Doe, a criminal, a man who was put to death, a man who people would be glad he was gone." Leonard explained. "Now I'm not saying we find the biggest mass murder in the country 'cause that would be creepy –"

"Hell yeah it would be creepy!" Penny cried. "Now I'm not saying I believe in ghosts or anything but what if his ghost came to kill us?"

"That's why I'm not doing that." Leonard said, it wasn't really why he wasn't but he thought it was the best thing to say at the moment. "But I was talking to Igor earlier and –"

"Oh you were talking to Igor, he's not at all a creeper." Penny moaned sarcasticlly throwing her head back against the chair. "Not that he's not a nice guy but you have to admit, Leonard, he's a little touched in the head. I think everyone here is."

"That's because we're in a different country, we should be happy they speak English. Besides, they all probably think you're a little touched in the head."

"Well of course I am," she said tilting her head toward Leonard. "I mean I'm here with you reanimated dead bodies, sane people don't do that." She sighed. "But anyway, you were talking to Igor…"

"I was talking to Igor and for some reason he knows when someone is executed, a man was just hung today a couple towns over. He had a wife but apparently he was a piece of crap husband, he had no family who even showed to the funeral other then his wife and her parents and they weren't sad. Essentially the only people at the funeral and hanging were people happy to see him go."

She thought about it for a moment. "That doesn't sound too bad."

"No, it doesn't."

"Igor told you all this?"

"Yes."

"Igor's creepy." She folded her arms. "Fine, go, dig up dead bodies. But I'm not helping you. Igor can help you dig it up and all but I'm staying in the car… or carriage."

Leonard smiled. "Thanks, Penny."

"You act like you needed my permission in order to go through with this plan."

Leonard bit his lip and pushed up his glasses. "Well, I didn't want to do anything that would freak you out too much and make you leave."

"I've known you a long time now," she began with a soft smile. "You've done a lot of weird things, trust me, if I haven't left by now I'm not going to."

Hours later once night had fallen Leonard found himself in a graveyard inside of a freshly dug grave. He leaned heavily on his shovel and peek out over the dirt line to see Penny pacing near the horse making sure no one was coming with Frau nearby standing as straight as a board. He duck back down into the hole and brushed the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.

Leaning heavily on his shovel he looked at Igor who was still digging. "This really sucks."

"Could be worse," Igor said cheerfully.

"How?"

"Could be raining," Igor said and suddenly a large crack of thunder sounded out around them and Leonard glared heavily at Igor like he was the cause.

Leonard growled as the rain began to pour, he could have sworn he heard Penny yelp and take refuge inside the carriage. He wished he had that option as the dirt around his feet quickly turned to mud. He was thankful he wasn't wearing anything too nice, but then again he knew he would be getting dirty doing this of course he wasn't wearing anything nice.

They found the coffin after another five minutes of digging and stared down at the top as they brushed the remaining dirt away. They had brought with them a rig so they could pull the coffin out without too much trouble; Leonard mentally thanked Wolowitz for the idea hanging around with the engineer this long was having its upsides.

"Okay," Leonard said getting up and pulling himself up out of the ditch. "I'll lower the hook and you tie it to the casket on the handles." He explained as he tried not to slip in the mud that surrounded them.

Igor grabbed the hook as it came down and wrapped it securely around the handles on the casket across the top and on both sides. Once he was sure it wouldn't be coming apart anytime soon he looked up to Leonard and gave him a thumbs up with a smile. "It's all done, master." He said.

"Fabulous, come on," he said reaching down to help the shorter hunchback back man out. "Now, when I give the word pull and it should come right on out."

"Alright," Igor said staring down the hole and to the coffin at the bottom.

"Okay, now." Leonard said and began pulling but quickly found he was the only one doing so. "Hey," he said to gain Igor's attention. "Help me," he suggested.

"Oh, you want me to help? Sure." Igor said and took hold of the rope behind Leonard. "I'm ready."

"Alright," he sighed. "Pull."

After some time of pulling and some slipping in the mud the two finally had the casket raised to their level. They lowered it on the ground beside the open grave and released the rope. Leonard remained speechless as he went forward with his shovel and began to fill the grave.

"What are you doing?" Igor asked, it was plain that he expected them to just take the casket and get out of there before they got caught.

"I'm filling the hole," Leonard explained as he worked though the mud. "I know this guy was a bastard but leaving it a gaping hole like this still feels weird so… I'm filling it."

Igor shrugged and helped him fill the gave before they lifted the casket by the handles and began to haul it out. Leonard began complaining almost the second they had it lifted off the ground. "Oh my God, this is heavy. I'm not cut out for this. I'm a scientist for a reason."

Luckily the distance to the carriage was not far and after a couple stops for a breath they reached their destination. Penny and Frau were inside waiting for them still trying to keep a look out for any guards wandering around or people, though they doubted too many people would be wandering around in this weather.

"About time," Penny said as she flipped up the hood of her pink raincoat and hopped out of the carriage letting them put it inside. "You're doing this yourself, I'm not touching that thing."

"We've managed this far, I think we can manage a little further." Leonard grunted as he pushed the coffin in with Igor.

"Are we good?" Penny asked getting back in and sitting down on the seat, she vaguely wondered why they didn't use this carriage to get to the castle in the first place and instead used the hayride. Oh well, she didn't care too much, she enjoyed the hayride.

"Yeah, let's go," Leonard said to Igor who hopped to the front to steer the horses, Frau remained up there as well leaving Penny and Leonard alone in the carriage with the casket.

Leonard sat with his legs pulled up on the seat sitting Indian style when he noticed Penny giggling at him. "What so funny?" He asked trying to rid his glasses of the water that accumulated on them.

"You're filthy and soaked." She said with a smile. "It's funny."

As she smiled Leonard could see that her teeth were chattering. "Are you, uh, cold?" He asked motioning to her as she hugged herself.

"Oh, no, just a little wet." She said waving it off. "It's nothing."

Leonard thought about it for a moment and after taking a deep slow breath he got up and moved to the other side of the carriage sitting next to Penny. Hesitantly he put his arm around her and waited for her to slap him or yell at him in some way. But she didn't she let him and she even leaned into his putt her head on his shoulder.

"You're filthy and wet." She finally said after a minute with her legs pulled up to her chest.

"So are you." Leonard replied.


	9. Chapter 9

Leonard paced around the dead body sitting on the slab with Penny not far from him looking in disgust at the corpse. "Perfect," Leonard said as he examined the body. "It's perfect, very little decay it's magnificent. Now all we need is an equally magnificent brain."

"You want to make a genius zombie?" Penny asked walking over but still keeping a good amount of distance between her and the corpse. "So when it tries to kill us it'll be smart?"

Leonard shrugged helplessly and looked back down at the body. "Well, if we're going to do this we should do it right. Why make a mindless creature when we can make something or someone who might actually do the world good? Igor do you still have that name I gave you?"

Igor showed him his sleeve. "Yes, Dr. H. Delbruck."

"Yes," Leonard confirmed. "Don't forget that name, I want that brain."

Penny furrowed her brow and aimlessly played with the collar of her lab coat. "Who's that?"

Leonard smiled. "He was the best, the finest natural philosopher, internal medicine diagnostician and chemical therapist of this century. The man was a genius and it just so happens he lived in the area, and he wrote seventeen cookbooks."

"Can't beat that," Penny mused leaning against one of the machines.

"I want that brain, Igor. Could you just imagine it in this body?" Leonard asked hovering over the corpse that lay before him. "It would be incredible."

Penny raised an eyebrow. "So you're putting a chess club brain in the body of a jock? Is there something you're trying to accomplish here Leonard other then the obvious?"

Leonard paused and looked back at her. "Well, what exactly is the obvious? And by the way not all chess club kids were genius, we had a few idiots on our team in school."

"Of course you were in chess club." She smirked.

Igor stared at the name on his sleeve. "What if the brain's not there?" He asked.

Leonard waved it off. "He'll be there, trust me, the poor guy died two weeks ago. He'll still be there. Now go on and get the brain I'll stay here and prepare the body with Penny."

Igor huffed as he left. "Preparing," he sighed.

A line of confusion indented in Leonard's forehead. "Yeah, preparing." He called after him as he left the laboratory. He looked back at Penny who was walking over to him with her hands in the pockets of her lab coat. "What else would we be doing other then preparing?" He laughed nervously. "I mean what else is there to do?"

"Nothing." Penny answered quickly.

"Absolutely nothing," he said standing suddenly awkwardly by the body with Penny next to him.

After a minute of silence and standing she cleared her throat. "Well, uh, Leonard, as fun as this standing around is I think maybe we should get to working on this, I mean not that I'm in a rush to touch a dead body anytime soon cause you know the ew factor, but still, Igor will be back soon and we can't just be standing here."

"No, we can't," Leonard said and put his hands on the table. "Right, um, well."

"How about you decide where you want to make the incisions to remove the old brain and place the new one in?" Penny suggested and Leonard gave her an odd look. "I think you guys are rubbing off on me."

"I thought you were my assistant for a reason." Leonard smiled and began examining the head of the body.

Penny smiled, looking proud of herself and moved around to fiddle with things on the various shelves.

Igor returned not too long after they began preparing the room with a glass case in his hands, a brain floating in transparent goo. He placed it on a table and presented it to Leonard with a large smile on his face.

Leonard smiled as well and walked to the brain holding the glass and examining what was inside. "You're sure this is the right brain?" He asked excitedly walking around the glass case.

Igor cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh, yeah sure it is, of course. I checked myself." Of course it was not the correct brain he had dropped the correct brain and grabbed the closest one he could find.

"Good," Leonard said sliding on a pair of surgical gloves and moving the goggles form his forehead to his eyes. "Let's get to work, I'm make the incisions, Penny, can you hand be a scalpel?"

"Of course, Doctor," She said snapping on her own gloves and handing him the scalpel with as sweet a smile as she could muster.

It was hours later when Leonard had finished successfully switching the brains. Penny was exhausted, not only from helping but it was now very late in the evening and they were waiting for a thunder storm. They scheduled to do this on a day where there would be a thunder storm later in the night so they could animate the body almost immediately after switching the brains. His ancestor's book said it would be best and Leonard whole heartedly agreed.

He asked, or maybe ordered would be a more appropriate word, Igor to go to the roof with some rubber safety gear and several kites to attract the lighting. When he the kites were secured on the roof he leaned down and peered through the hole that lead to the laboratory.

"You sure you know what your doing!?" He called.

"Yes, it's all written down in the notes, now come down here before you get struck!" Leonard shouted up to him.

"Yes, Master," he said and began climbing down.

Down in the laboratory Leonard handed Penny the needle and thread he had been using to stick the body up and sighed triumphantly. "There, it's done now we just have to wait for a sufficient amount of lightening and soon all the electrical secrets of Heaven will be mine."

"Oh, Leonard," Penny breathed. "Your acting like… like…"

"God?"

"Yes!" She cried. "No, not acting… playing, you playing God here. You're creating life, Leonard." A crack of thunder sounded out and she jumped a little looking up and then back down at Leonard. "What you're doing is epic to impossible levels but this is probably your last chance to back out."

"Back out?" Leonard asked, surprised as he secured the straps that held the creature down on the table. "Why would I do that?" He asked playing with his long lab coat.

"I don't know, you just never know what kind of repercussions something like this can have."

Frau looked at the couple with an arched brow as she walked down to the basement.

"I'll go down in scientific history for this, and this is modern days its not like it was when my grandfather did this. A mob won't come after me and try to kill me at the castle gates, Penny, we're not barbarians."

"Is that all you care about? Going down in scientific history?"

Leonard paused and shifted uncomfortably. "Well… no… reanimating dead things is also cool."

Penny laughed and walked over to him, "That's all I needed to hear," she said smacking him on the arm as Igor came walking down a large spiral staircase that came down from the roof.

"You'd better hurry," Igor said looking up to the sky. "I think it's going to start raining soon, its sure thundering enough."

"Alright, here we go." Leonard said clapping his hands together and rubbing them as he stood on a platform beside the table the creature was on. "Elevate me."

Penny looked slightly startled. "Right here?"

"Yes, yes, right here, now raise me."

"Oh yeah," she said and began cranking the giant wheel with Igor that would elevate Leonard into the air with the table.

"So…" Leonard began as he stood on the platform, being raised up. "Now we hurl the gauntlet of science into the frightful face of death itself… Ever since life rose from the primeval slime death has ruled without question… death has ruled supreme. Without the least suggestion that man could foil its scheme but now, science will end it, this soul will live again."

Penny and Igor exchanged looks of concern, Leonard was beginning to talk like an insane man. But then again, he was doing this.

"Let my creature live," Leonard murmured raising his face to look to the skies. "Tear the night asunder cast your light upon the dark! The lightening bolts and thunder will ignite a mortal spark!"

"That's rather catchy he should be a poet," Igor commented.

Leonard gasped. "This is it, Igor throw the first switch."

Igor jumped into action. "Yes, Master." And he threw and overly large switch creating a bolt of lightening.

Leonard waited for several seconds murmuring life to himself as rain began pouring down upon him. "Now, the second switch."

"Yes, Master." Igor cried and the another switching causing even more sparks and bolts to fly.

Leonard bent down and checked the body upon seeing nothing he leaned back. "He needs more… more…. Igor throw the third switch!"

"What?"

"The third switch, throw it damn you, throw it!"

Igor huffed. "Wait till he sees the electric bill," he murmured. "Yes, Master!"

An enormous burst of electricity exploded around them nearly covering Leonard, Penny covered her mouth with her hands in fear that he would get hurt. "Oh no…" She mumbled wanting so much to bring him down.

Leonard stayed on the roof completely drenched from head to toe with his arms spread wide as the electrical currents raged around him. "Give me life, ere the break of dawn… let my dream be born. Through the wind swept air, listen to my prayer, stir his brain, let breathing start, let me hear his beating heart. Give my creature life!" He looked down at the body and then cried to his friends below. "Alright! That's enough turn everything off and bring me down!"

Penny immediately began turning the wheel in the opposite direction with Frau's help this time while Igor flipped the three switches back to their original places. The lights returned to normal and Penny rushed to Leonard's side once she was done bringing him back own to the floor. "Are you okay?" She asked pulling him to her and checking him over to be sure he was okay. "You're not hurt right? Not burned, you didn't get shocked did you?"

"I'm fine," Leonard said gazing back to the body making Penny look at it as well along with Igor.

"Nothing…" Leonard murmured after a long pregnant pause. "Nothing happened… But its okay, we must face out failures." He began walking around the body and to the stair case but then spontaneously turned back and lashed out at the creature with an angry scream. "You've ruined me!" He cried as he was held back by Igor, Penny and Frau. "YOU'VE RUINED ME!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Penny said grabbing hold of his face and looking him in the eye. "Calm down, okay? It's okay," Penny smiled reassuringly and wrapped her arm around his. "Its okay, these things are hard it takes time." She patted his hand.

"I followed the notes exactly." Leonard said as they lead him away from the body and to the steps that lead out of the laboratory. "It should have worked, there was no reason for it not to." He looked back.

"But it didn't, those things happen." Frau said.

"But there must be a reason." Leonard said. "This is science not art things need a reason for not working and so far I don't see one."

"You can't win them all," Igor commented.

"Maybe not," Leonard murmured as he reached the top of the staircase. "But I should have won this one."

"We'll look back tomorrow after we've all rested," Penny promised. "It's late now, don't stress over it you'll only give yourself an ulcer. Maybe we can even try again during the next storm."

"But who knows when that's going to be," he moaned as they plopped him down on a chair. "It could be months from now until we come across a storm that had enough power."

"Then we'll just have to wait months." Penny concluded.

"I will go to the kitchen and cook us something to eat before we go to bed." Frau said sternly as she headed off to the kitchen with a candle in her hand to light the way despite the electric lights.

Penny smiled and sat in the chair next to Leonard. "Here we go, some nice dinner, maybe some liquor and off to bed, if you like I can stay with you for a while to get your mind off things." She said pulling the goggles off his head.

"Really?" He asked his mind already off the monster.

"No problem, that's what friends or lab assistants," she said proudly. "Are for right?"

Leonard nodded lightly. "You know maybe we left too soon."

Penny sighed. "Leonard,"

"Not, just let me go back down and check one more time, I just have to make sure I didn't miss anything."

"No," she insisted. "If you did the body will still be there when you go back tomorrow and you can chat it up with him then. For now just get it out of your mind and calm down, we can go eat something in a few minutes.

Just then there was a strange noise from the basement, Leonard held up his hand to silence Penny and slowly stood up. "Do you hear that?" he asked wandering over to the laboratory entrance.

Penny wanted to say no but she had heard it too. But it didn't work, the creature wasn't alive, so what was in the laboratory? "Yeah…" she mumbled standing up with him and following him to the bookcase. "What is it?"

"Mmmmmmmm…." Came the noise again only clearer and louder this time.

"I know exactly what that is!" Leonard cried bolting down the steps and to the laboratory with Penny behind him. Igor followed after hearing the commotion they were making, Frau was slowly trailing them with the corner of her lip curled up in a satisfied smirk.

"I did it!" Leonard cried as he approached the creature. "I DID IT! I knew I did, I knew all along I did everything right." He laughed insanely. "It's trying to talk. It wants me to take off the straps!"

"Don't fall for that one." Igor said grabbing Leonard's wrists.

"But don't you see? There's a genius brain inside this horrible body pleading to be released. I've got to untie it." He concluded.

"Well be careful, you never can tell with these chaps."

"Oh… then you take them off."

"Why me?"

"You're the assistant."

Igor couldn't argue with that, Leonard stepped aside and allowed Igor to remove the straps that restrained the creature who was fighting against the restraints in vain. Igor timidly began removing the leather straps form the creature and the second he did the creature stood stiffly and looked around, the first thing he saw was Leonard who was grinning manically at him. The creature reached out and grabbed Leonard by the neck and began choking him, he tried to call out for help but his air passage was utterly blocked.

Penny ran forward with a hypodermic needle and promptly injected the creature with the sedative. It dropped Leonard to the ground and leaned back falling onto the table once more.

From the ground Leonard smiled despite his near death experience as he rubbed his throat. "It's alive... I've done it, its living and breathing and because of me."

"It just tried to kill you." Penny reminded as she bent down next to him.

Leonard waved his hand. "Doesn't matter, he was startled, when he wakes up I'm going to try talking to him before I set him free. He has the mind of one of the most brilliant men ever in existence… this is going to be amazing."

Igor nodded and rocked back and forth. "Yes… amazing all right." He commented.


End file.
